Factors that influence cascade-induced defect growth in pure metals and model alloys

Abstract

For the development of materials in a fusion reactor environment without a fusion reactor, it is important to understand the generation and accumulation of point defects. This paper discusses five important factors in metals that influence the initial stage of defect clustering under cascade damage conditions. The effect of the PKA energy spectrum on damage evolution was explained from the viewpoint of subcascade formation. Two origins of damage rate dependence of defect cluster formation, direct mutual annihilation of point defects and annihilation of point defects at cascade-induced defect clusters, were mentioned. As the effect of motion of interstitial clusters, an example was given to illustrate the strong correlation between the mobility of interstitial clusters and void growth. Thermal activation processes depend on irradiation temperature. Varying irradiation temperature experiment was evaluated as a technique for investigating the point defect processes during irradiation. Migration of alloying elements during irradiation was reviewed from the standpoint of the interaction of alloying elements with point defects. © 2005 The Japan Institute of Metals.